How to start a bullet journal

How to start a bullet journal

Bullet journals have gotten lots of exposure lately – the neat notebooks you see on Instagram showing what you think your life should be like. Organized. Some of these are extremely detailed and covered with decorations on purpose. They want you to stop scrolling and drop a like! While there are a lot of pretty journals out there, here are some tips that’ll make starting a bullet journal easier than it seems.

So how did it all begin? A bullet journal is, in its bare essentials, a journal you keep with a list of things you need to do each day. You mark each one at the end of the day with a “bullet.” For example, a O will mean completed, X means not completed, and maybe ▲ means you partially completed the task. Then people started making these lists in weekly boxes or calendars they drew themselves to keep it more organized.

Over time, there were more things added like habit trackers and motivational quotes of the day. Calligraphers and artists added their own flair by making the texts decorative and adding on themes. Now, we have washi tape, stickers, various pens, all for our lovely bullet journals.

It may today seem like a lot of time and effort to start a bullet journal – it’s not! You don’t have to make it as intricate as some Instagram accounts do. The goal of one is to make it work for you. If your bullet journal helps you take control of your days, it is a good bullet journal.

Let’s say you got it, but you’re still interested in making it look nice. Play around with some sticker and washi tape designs, and think about what kind of theme you’d want for that page. It can be anything you want! I enjoy buying mine from Aliexpress since I can get so much for so cheap. I also use Midliners and Crayola markers for other colors. As for notebooks, it can be any kind you like as well. My personal preference are Muji layflat blank A5’s. If you don’t know what that means, check out this helpful guide on what notebook sizes there are.